Heart failure patients may soon have a new tool to monitor their condition at home. Researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, China, developed a test strip as a household prognosis platform.

A small blood sample of only 10 microliters is needed to perform the fluorescent paper-based test. A blue dot glows on the strip if the antigen ST2 is present in the sample, and a green dot glows if it contains BNP; both areA paper-based test strip could help heart failure patients tell if their condition is worsening. (Credit: American Chemical Society) biomarkers of heart disease progression. Color intensity increases with concentration, which indicates a person’s heart failure is likely becoming worse.

A smartphone app analyzes the readout and sends results to the patient’s doctor, who can adjust the patient’s treatment accordingly. Testing 38 serum samples from people with heart failure showed that the paper test closely matched conventional techniques.